Some American cities are great news towns. Eugene is a great commentary town.

That aspect of Eugene’s character will come back into public view as Lookout Eugene-Springfield launches today, providing a platform for commentary that has been missing for years.

Chicago is a great news town because its grisly crimes and gaudy corruption ensure that the news is never dull.

Eugene is a great commentary town because it has endless causes and controversies. It also has energetic and articulate citizens ready to ensure that issues are debated and dissected, argued and analyzed. Lookout Eugene-Springfield is a place where all that can happen.

I ought to know about commentary in this part of Oregon. I was an editorial writer for The Register-Guard for 15 years, and editorial page editor for 18 more. For a third of a century, I was a composer and conductor for Lane County’s cacophonous orchestra of opinion.

The orchestra is still out there, with all its piccolos and kettle drums, but the platform for the expression of public opinion that once was provided by a daily newspaper is gone. The Register-Guard cut the size of its editorial section in half just as I left the paper in 2018, and dropped it altogether four years later.

It’s as though Nashville had no music halls, or New York had no stages.

Sure, Eugene Weekly publishes letters to the editor and articles with an element of opinion. KLCC produces solid public affairs programming. And the Oregon Daily Emerald should not be overlooked. These are far better than nothing. But Eugene and Lane County need a comprehensive daily forum for commentary of all kinds — editorials, letters, columns and more.

Now it has one. Lookout Eugene-Springfield intends to bring the accuracy, breadth, fairness and accountability that characterized the best of 20th-century journalism into the digital world of the 21st century. A robust opinion section, led by Ann Marie Swan, is a vital component of this enterprise.

The ecosystem that supported a strong commentary section back in my day still exists. Local governments are hard-wired for citizen participation and public processes. Non-profits, advocacy groups and public interest organizations are thick on the ground, eager to advance their political, social and economic ideas. The University of Oregon and Lane Community College are stocked with experts whose job descriptions require them to share what they know.

Above all, there’s an engaged, curious and well-informed readership. People in Eugene and Lane County remember what it was like to have a forum where they could find out what their neighbors think, discover fresh points of view and weigh opposing arguments about the issues of the day. They remember it, and they want it back. They want it so badly that many have stepped forward to provide start-up funds for Lookout Eugene-Springfield.

This thirst arises from an awareness of what has been missing, until now, from the local media landscape. How do voters evaluate the candidates for a state judicial position without endorsements based on interviews and research? How do they track the environmental and economic consequences of public-lands management controversies without an opinion section that seeks to present all their varied aspects? How will they decide where they stand on an issue such as Eugene’s proposed fire service fee unless they’re exposed to a wide spectrum of opinions about it?

Readers of The Register-Guard always held me and my colleagues to a high standard, and did not hesitate to call us out when we fell short. Lookout Eugene-Springfield should be held to those same high standards. The entire venture, including the commentary sections, will rise if everyone involved feels constant pressure to meet demanding expectations.

Those expectations ought to be leavened — not compromised — by a measure of patience. Everyone at Lookout Eugene-Springfield is trying to do many new things at once. Good work, even great work, lies ahead, but there may be some stumbles along the way. Though criticism is expected, it is constructive criticism that yields the best results.

The prospects for this section of Lookout Eugene-Springfield will lean heavily on people’s willingness to contribute ideas, suggestions, letters and columns. I encourage all of the thousands of people who found their opinions welcome on The Register-Guard’s opinion pages to avail themselves of the same opportunities here.

Let’s stop moping about the sunset days of print, and pick up powerful new digital tools for sharing ideas with one another. Let’s use those tools in ways that honor the timeless principles of responsible journalism. Let’s help Lookout Eugene-Springfield succeed, for its sake and for our own, because self-government cannot succeed without an engaged and informed citizenry.